Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:04 — 66.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

Here’s a number that’s pretty sobering: More than 35% of households with children were considered “food insecure” in Mecklenburg County. Meaning, they did NOT know if food would be available from day to day.

Mercifully, there are organizations that are working to help change those numbers. But as Charlotte continues to get bigger and bigger, that need continues to grow with it. 

Hearts and Hands Food Pantry is one of the only independent food pantries in the area, having served tens of thousands of folks in the Charlotte region since 2017.

Kenya Joseph is with Hearts and Hands, and she’s our guest today on the BrandBuilders Podcast. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:45 — 43.7MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

“After an exhausting 16+ years, the founder of the Isabella Santos Foundation needed to make a change. Instead of folding, she’s planning a big expansion.”

With THAT headline in The Charlotte Ledger, we knew we’d have to get our friend, Erin Santos-Primis to tell us what this is all about. 

For folks who don’t know, the Isabella Santos Foundation has donated more than $8 million dollars to cancer trials, research, and patient care. Most of that money, coming from donations from folks like you and me, and companies of all sizes. 

And, now it’s time for something more… Erin Santos-Primis, welcome BACK to the BrandBuilders Podcast. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:32 — 58.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

If you’ve noticed Charlotte streets, restaurants, schools, etc., getting more crowded… it’s not your imagination. You’d literally have to be living under a rock to have missed the news that 100-plus people moving here every day! 

Charlotte is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and the real estate market here is forecast to be the hottest in the US. With all the new people moving to town, that gave one local realtor an idea. 

Jay Seago from Helen Adams is our guest today on the BrandBuilders Podcast. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:26 — 51.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

Business-owner and Chef Craig Barbour originally studied mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland before transitioning into the culinary field. After graduating from Johnson & Wales University here in Charlotte, he started his career at Carmel Country Club. 

From there it was a food truck, event catering, a café in South End, and now a multi-brand food and beverage business. Craig is one of those people – and brands – that we can say, “we knew them when!” He’s our guest today on the award-winning BrandBuilders Podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:11 — 59.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

Aside from interest rates, real estate may have garnered the most headlines in the US economy over the last several years. If you’ve tried to buy or sell a house, you KNOW how the market’s been lately. 

Things have been just as interesting on the commercial and industrial sides, too. And that’s where companies like Colliers shine, by providing a full range of services to real estate users, owners and investors. Grant Miller is executive vice president at Colliers – and he’s our guest on this episode of the BrandBuilders Podcast. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:11 — 48.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

If you want to raise money to fight cancer in the MOST FUN way possible, the All-In to Fight Cancer poker tournament is your best bet. (Oh, and that’s not the end of our card-playing puns,)

With three events across North Carolina, All-In to Fight Cancer has raised more than 2 point 3 MILLION dollars. And here’s the deal: you don’t even have to be a good poker player to get in on the action! Heck, you’ll even feel pretty good about losing – since it’s all for a great cause. 

Clifton Castelloe is the event series executive director. He got up early to join us here on the BrandBuilders Podcast. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:46 — 50.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

For 20 years, Dress for Success Charlotte has been a champion of women’s economic upward mobility. It’s their vision that all women are economically self-sufficient, treated individually and with dignity and respect… and that they receive comparable pay to their male counterparts as they strengthen and shape their families and our communities.

They help hundreds of women each year with job placement, interview skills, financial education, career advancement services. Gale Bonnell is a community advisor with Dress for Success, and Emily Wheeler is executive director. They’re here as our guests on the BrandBuilders podcast.

Gale and Emily… thanks for joining us!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:49 — 54.7MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

If you’ve ever tried to DIY big a project, you’re probably familiar with the feeling that you’ve taken on a little – or even a lot more – than you bargained for. The stakes might not be as high if you’re trying to wallpaper your bathroom. 

But when projects are really BIG, the margin of error gets smaller and smaller as the stakes get higher and potentially more costly.

Strata Project Management Group is Full-service project management and real estate consulting, from feasibility studies and due diligence to post-construction and beyond.

Amy Johnson and Russ Little are founders of that firm. They’re our guests today on the BrandBuilders Podcast. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:53 — 56.2MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

Covid and the pandemic changed a lot about how we work, shop, go to school –and even how we workout. One of the biggest “booms” during that time was in running. Depending on the report you read, 15 to 30 percent of runners surveyed say they came to the sport during the pandemic! 

Many of them are still running, and looking for in-person opportunities to get together and run. That’s GREAT news for folks in the events business, you’d think. But there are also new challenges for the events and endurance industry. 

Tim Rhodes is president of Run Charlotte and the managing partner for the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. Tim, welcome to the BrandBuilders podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:24 — 51.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

Like my old man says, “at the end of the day, it’s all sales.” Whether you’re selling a product, a service, an idea – or yourself. And “sales” (I’m doing air quotes here) continues to evolve. 

Retail sales numbers are “up,” and consumers have countless ways to engage with potential sellers with technology. The trouble is, not that technology continues to grow and change, making it harder for sellers to meet buyers. 

Stephen Cozzolongo is the kind of pro you want in your bullpen when your digital marketing is missing the mark – or just not optimized for the constantly changing digital landscape.